Like That Of Snow
by Ni-chan9
Summary: It was weird. How the boy reminded him of the snow. Nauseatingly pure and reflecting of light, yet the truth of the matter was he couldn't bring himself to hate either, no matter what. (AU. VanVen.)


**A/N:**_ Unlike my usual, this will be more of a 3__rd__ person limited of Vanitas' POV. This idea randomly came to me after I was looking at a picture of Vanitas I drew some time back and wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it down. I would love to show you all if I had a working scanner and digital coloring skills. _

**Warnings**_: Different approach to the characters(?), BL, Swearing, Unbeta-d, etc._

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Like That of Snow

The weather was unusual for Mirage High School as the white puffs of snow gently fell from the dawning sky. A lot had piled on late last night, leaving the metropolis area under a colorless wintry blanket. Vanitas left his house early that morning, having not bothered to catch the bus or wait for his grandfather to drop him off since both would probably not be on time anyway due to the icy roads. It wasn't that he particularly cared if he was tardy since, more often than not, he was. The only reason he was willing to walk to school was because he didn't mind the snow, enjoyed it even. In a way…it suited him.

The raven rested on a lower part of the rooftop, clad in a buttoned up long sleeve shirt - the sleeves rolled up to his elbows - over a black turtle neck tank-top along with baggy grey pants and crimson-laced sneakers. He wore a red scarf loosely overlapped once around his neck and a pair of unintentionally matching ear muffs.

He glanced down at the wrist watch on his left arm. The bell should be ringing soon. Arrived early and still going to be late. Only him.

Vanitas sat, leaning back a tad as his face was tilted up towards the sky, idly watching the snow fall. It was almost mesmerizing to him. How peaceful it was, something he appreciated in his life – the exact opposite of serene - every now and again.

He squinted when a flurry fell into his gazing golden iris. Leaning his head back up, Vanitas rubbed his eye with back of his palm before noticing something moving out the corner of the other. He lowered his hand as he peered down to the side, seeing the boy running across the snowy path, a trail of footprints just behind him.

…_It's the Strife boy._

He watched for a second, his legs bent and slightly apart as he rested a forearm against one knee. A smirk tugged at his lips. He couldn't recall the blond's first name, only knowing the last since he was introduced as such by the teacher in his English class. He was relatively the new kid.

A perfect target for him to mess with.

Vanitas stood up. He knew he found the snow to be peaceful, but series of unfortunate events had already warped and twisted him to the point where his cynical thoughts were pretty much impulsive now. He knew he was a tortured soul, all too well. That he was dark and corrupt. But he had learned to embrace it, to draw strength from his anger and perceive others attachments as weaknesses, in which he possessed none. No friends, nor family. A position that sounded deserving of pity, but Vanitas absolutely loathed that.

Pity was for the weak. Pity meant the person felt sorry for him, as if he were some poor, kicked puppy, helpless and alone. _Ugh_. It disgusted him, the mere thought. It made something in his insides churn. Bile, maybe? Regardless, all he knew was that empathy was one thing, for someone to truly understand was different, but pity? It was plan offensive.

The raven closed his eyes, his eyelashes just over his cheek bones in a reflective expression. His perspective on things was negative and he acquired happiness from the lack of somebody else's... For a brief moment he tried to recall the times where he was more like the people around him, oblivious, but virtuously joyful. Those times seemed so far away that it was foggy in his mind and the smiles he use to give as a child seemed damn near imaginary.

Vanitas' eyes shot open, his reminiscence causing him to scowl. Often times he wished he didn't think so much, about his past anyway, but these were the corridors where his thoughts swayed when he was alone, when he had no one to torment, to preoccupy himself and feed his sadistic desires.

No longer able to stand his own company, the raven jumped off the platform - eager to entertain himself - and landed easily on his two feet. He looked up to see the blond coming towards his direction, but was a ruler or two's length to the side. The boy must have been so busy running he didn't notice Vanitas stick his foot out just before they passed one another. _Idiot._

"Ah!" the boy exclaimed as he hit the ground, hard. "Ow."

"Whoa. You okay there?" He held a hand out as the boy turned his head around slightly to look over his shoulder, bits of snow falling from his peachy face and off his honey colored spikes of hair at the motion. The blond glanced briefly at the print his body made in the feet of snow, then back up at him.

"Um, yeah." The boy took his hand, standing. He brushed the frost off his person. "Thanks, uh…"

"Vanitas."

"Vanitas…" he respired, a puff of his hot breath visible as it mingled with the freezing air outside. The raven was contemplating whether the boy knew him from somewhere other than class - judging by the way he repeated his name - but it didn't seem like it as the boy soon smiled. "Thanks, Vanitas. I guess I tripped over a rock under the snow or something." He scratched the back of his head. "How embarrassing."

"Very." Vanitas made a pitying face, half to come off as sincere and the other in more of an underlined mocking manner. Ironic, how he hated the emotion, but he could direct it towards someone else with ease as he considered most people pathetic and deserving of such feelings. His selfish nature never seized at shining through it seemed. Though, he shouldn't be surprised at this point, at how ambiguous he could be. Whatever. This kid was a fool anyway. The idiot didn't think it was more than just a coincidence that he tripped just as a mysterious man crossed him? This was supposed to be the part when he got upset and was raring to pick a fight that he would swiftly lose, and if he was lucky, might be spared from any broken limbs or blood drawn.

Vanitas mentally clicked his tongue. The boy's stupidity would be his own downfall. "So what's got you in such a hurry?"

The blue eyes widened as if suddenly being reminded. "Oh, right! I'm gonna be la-"

Vanitas grabbed his arm before the boy turned to bolt. "Late for class?" he asked innocently.

"Uh, yeah…" The boy glanced down at the touch for a brief moment. "I'm pretty sure the bell is about to ring. I can't ruin my perfect attendance."

Perfect attendance? So he was that kind of student, was he? The kind Vanitas disliked the most, the goody-goodies. He really wanted to wreck this kid. "Ah, that's too bad," Vanitas said as he withdrew his arm back to his side to slide both his hands casually in his pockets. He tilted his head to the side, as if briefly contemplating. "Hmm, I doubt you're gonna make it on time. The bell should be ringing any minute."

"You really think so? Agh, what am I still doing here?!" the blond shrieked, moving to meld his step into a run.

"_But_," Vanitas began, noticing that the boy had stopped to look back at him, "I have a secret shortcut I could show you."

"Secret…shortcut? Really?" He blinked. "You'd do that for me?"

"Why not?" The raven smiled, but knowing him it probably resembled more of a smirk. Fuck it. The boy didn't know him well enough to tell the difference.

"Wow, thanks." The blond grinned widely, showing his pearly teeth. "Vanitas, right?"

The raven glared, but it was so brief if you had blinked you would've missed it. How dare he ask his name again? He better remember it. For he be the one to make his experience at Mirage High a living hell.

Something about the blond really irked Vanitas, and he had been aware of the annoying feeling that crawled under his skin when he first started talking to him, yet didn't pay it much mind until now. It wouldn't go away. He considered leaving the boy to himself, perhaps to go bother someone else that didn't threaten his calm, but would that not be running away? Vanitas never backed down from anything he set his sights on, and if he did, it would be by his own free will, not some bothersome sensation urging him too. Whatever this feeling was he would overcome it because he could overcome anything, and felt as if he'd already overcome everything.

The raven merely turned his back on the kid. "Follow me."

"Uh…okay." The blond trailed after him.

There was an area between two parts of the school's buildings that resembled an alleyway as the structures cast a shadow that made the path look dim and eerie, even more so as the sun was hardly visible on the cloudy day. Vanitas imagined that was probably why they kept the dumpster at the far end; it looked like a suitable spot for such a thing. Should he throw the blond into it? That would be fun, wouldn't it?

Vanitas silently flicked his eyes towards the boy's direction. He couldn't believe he was actually following him, when the raven knew he probably shouldn't be too surprised. The boy was an idiot, remember? Still, Vanitas couldn't understand someone willing to settle for such a lack of control…

His fist clenched by his side, and he quickly subsided the nostalgic feeling that was threatening to torture him again.

The blond didn't know where he was being led to or even, really, who Vanitas was. The raven didn't consider himself to come as overly trustworthy, or at all actually, and maybe it just chalked down to him being a better actor than he thought, but _still_…

Vanitas wanted to make him suffer. He wanted to physically show him that you couldn't trust anyone, no matter how convincing the disguise. The boy reminded him of a blank canvas that hadn't yet been drawn on – tainted – much like the glistening whiteness surrounding them.

Vanitas eyed the fallen snow intently before turning his nose up in aversion. It was vacant in color and cold to the touch, yes, which he could relate. But it was also pure, untouched and…perfect. The one thing that bothered him about the snow. The boy…much like it.

Vanitas realized he'd been stepping down on the ice beneath his shoes harder than he thought as the _crunching_ sound was now apparent to his ears. He grinned a bit at how his footprints were ruining the perfection and how - obliviously, he was willing to bet - the boy's behind him was as well. The thought of the boy subconsciously on the path of destruction gave Vanitas a satisfying feeling that he couldn't quite explain. Twisted and warped, dark and corrupt, that, he knew he had become.

Vanitas bit his bottom lip to keep from laughing, his mind entertaining what exactly he was going to do to this kid. Should he start by roughing him up a bit before throwing him in the dumpster? Or permanently damage him with menacing words and truths prior to, or maybe whilst, beating him?

"It's back here?" the boy spoke up, a hint of uncertainty in his voice as he stopped behind the raven.

"_Heh_. Not exac-" Vanitas turned to look back at him just when he was tackled to the ground. His back abruptly hit the ground and before he knew it he was looking up at the clear sky rather than towards a dumpster. What. The. Hell?

Vanitas instantly threw himself upwards with one arm, grabbing the boy's collar roughly and slamming him back against the brick wall. "If you're looking to commit suicide, you're going about it the right way!" he all but hissed. If the boy's facial expression was as accurate as Vanitas thought it was, he would have to say he looked as pissed off as he felt. And he had every right to. How dare he just take him down like that? And by surprise too, a cheap shot. Perhaps the blond wasn't as virtuous as he portrayed.

The blue eyes were wide, like the owner didn't understand why he was suddenly being handled like a rag doll. "H-Huh? I-I was just trying to help you!" he exclaimed.

"_Help _me?" Vanitas repeated, his tone hinting that this boy was indeed retarded. His emotions, still of anger, now melded with confusion.

"Yeah." The cerulean eyes moved upwards and Vanitas reflectively followed the gaze up to a window in the science hall upstairs. He briefly caught the departure of a female teacher, her figure disappearing behind the opaque wall. "You said it was a secret, right? There was a teacher there. She would've saw you if you didn't get down."

Vanitas blinked once prior to looking back at the blond.

…What? Just…_what_? What was wrong with this guy?

He was at a loss for words, for once. A strange and even defeating feeling for someone who was so full of wit and ingenuity. His lack of a response caused him to stare at the blond - collar still fisted in his hands - longer than he expected. The blond's cheeks were red, flushed looking, and Vanitas was unsure whether that was because he'd just been handled so aggressively or merely due to the cold. "…What did you say your name was again?"

"I…didn't. But, uh, it's Ventus. Ventus Strife."

_Ventus…_ And there was that annoying feeling again, more apparent than the last. Vanitas had the strong urge to shove the boy away from him now, but just as his fingers loosened the slightest bit a voice snickered at him: "**Coward**." He'd paused. He wanted to get away from Ventus, but why? Why when he hadn't yet exacted any sort of pain towards him? Why did he feel his control of the situation slipping?

"H-Hey, could you let go of me, please? This is sort of uncomfortable."

He was no coward. He would not be powerless, ever again. Not to another person and damn sure not a prisoner to his own emotions. He had to prove that to himself.

"A-Are you listening to me? Vanitas? I'm…pronouncing it right, aren't I-"

Vanitas disrupted the flow of words as he pressed his lips to his, feeling Ventus' muscles jolt in shock as his body stiffened. He noted the blond's lips were surprisingly warm when the weather around them was anything but. For a moment, Vanitas was content with leaving his actions at that, with something chaste, but he soon craved to abuse his power further.

Vanitas tugged Ventus' shirt forward, drawing their bodies closer. His tongue slipped passed his lips and insisted on entering the other's mouth, in which the blond's lips submissively parted. It both disappointed Vanitas and delighted him all the more. He cocked his head to side to deepen the kiss. His tongue rubbed against Ventus' and by the other's movements, he was willing to bet that this was his first kiss. His lips moved clumsily, but Vanitas promptly fixed that with his own and gradually the blond started to gain the hang of it.

The freezing weather quickly became an absent thought as the temperature grew hot around them. The wet, _smacking_ sound dispersed through the air as their lips would briefly part for air then hungrily connect again. A moaned escaped from Ventus' mouth during one of these intervals, sounding as if it was ripped from his throat. "Mmmph, V-Vanitaaaas…"

Excited couldn't even begin to describe how the blond was making him feel. Before Vanitas could commence entertaining the idea of marking the blond as his possession, the loud _dong_ resonated through the area.

Vanitas opened his eyes upon parting his lips, the bell seeming to wake him from some dreamlike state. He flicked his eyes towards the tower's direction then looked back at the boy. His face, red before, was surely a bolder shade now. Vanitas stared before his eyelids lowered and he smirked. "Yeah, you pronounced it right. Minus the dragged out _aaaaa_~"

He didn't think the blond could blush any harder, but apparently he was wrong. He chuckled softly, though he wasn't completely sure if his face wasn't stained either. He sure did feel hot and he noticed his heart was thudding in his chest in a more quickened pace than he thought normal. He released his grip from the blond, finally, and took a few steps back. "Looks like you're late," he said, watching the blond's reaction go from embarrassed to confused to distraught in mere seconds._ Jeez, this kid…_

Ventus' mouth flew open as if he was about to yell something, but then it gradually drifted back to a close as his shoulders slumped against the brick wall. "Well, I guess it's too late to make a mad dash…"

Vanitas raised a brow at the saddened expression over the blond's face. He couldn't believe he actually cared about his attendance. _Pfft_. Still…the raven would be lying if he said he didn't feel a tad bit guilty.

He smoothly pulled at an end of his scarf and it unraveled from his neck. Ventus raised his brows, looking as if he was about to ask what he was doing before Vanitas tossed the arch of the scarf over his shoulders. He tugged the ends forward so sharply that their lips almost touched once more. "I want that back. So you better meet me here after school, got it?"

"U-Uh…what? Why don't you just keep…?" The blond must have not been a complete idiot since he picked up on the don't-ask-any questions-just-do-it expression over his face. Ventus clutched the cloth in his hands then nodded, smiling warmly. "Sure thing."

It was weird. How the boy reminded him of the snow. Nauseatingly pure and reflecting of light, yet the truth of the matter was he couldn't bring himself to hate either, no matter what. He liked Ventus. He did. And he had proven to himself that he could not only acknowledge that, but accept it.

Ventus' brows furrowed. "Is everything alright, Vanitas?"

He was silent for a moment before he smiled. "Yeah. Yeah…for once…I think it is."

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**A/n:** _Just a little short story I needed to entertain. I fucking love the snow. And I adore Vanitas and his perfect match Ventus. Wanna know something funny? Originally, Ven was gonna tackle Van to the ground because there was a wasp, but there are no bee-like things out in winter, especially when it's snowing outside. Shot my plans straight out of the water. But I still like the way this turned out. How'd you feel about it? _

_Please _**REVIEW **_below! My goal is __**15+**__!_

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